Creatively Make a Birdhouse from Dried Leaves

Birdhouses are made from metals most of the time. The classic birdhouse is just a plain and simple nest. This is usually made by the adult bird or the mother bird to shelter their chicks. It is made from simple materials that can be found in nature. It keeps their eggs or hatchlings warm since it is composed of several layers of natural materials.

Commercially available bird cages, on the otherhand, are made for bird enthusiast. People who want to have their own pet bird keep a bird cage that will serve as the shelter. Some of the bird cages are costly, depending on the design or the material used.

Today, we will be combining the concept of the traditional and the modern bird cages. This tutorial is dedicated to the bird lovers out there. This is a time consuming activity since we will need ample time in drying leaves. It will take 5 days or more to do this, but the results will definitely amaze you afterwards. This is an eco-friendly, naturally made bird cage since we will be using biodegradable materials (e.g. box and dried leaves). If you want to have one, then let us start making now!

Step 1: Gather all the materials needed for this activity:

small square cardboard box

several dried leaves (with veins and palm leaves)

pencil

cutter or X-acto knife

ruler

scissors

hot glue

crochet thread

shredded paper

Step 2: Draw a triangle on the upper part of the square box that will look like the roof boundary of the house.

Step 3: Cut the topmost cover of the box.

Step 4: Cut the sides of the roof boundary using a scissor. Do this on all four sides of the box.

Step 5: Use a cutter or an X-acto knife to line the roof boundary in front of the box. Do the same for the back part. Do not totally cut this!

Step 6: Fold the front and the back roof lining. Fold the sides of the roof lining as well.

Step 7: Fold the upper side flaps to form the roof of the bird house.

Step 8: Hot glue the flaps of the roof to permanently fix it into place.

Step 9: Draw a door or an opening in front of the bird house box. Make sure that the door or the opening is appropriate to the size of the bird.

Step 10: Cut the door of the bird house, except for the bottom horizontal part.

Step 11: Clean the edges of the door using the scissors.

Step 12: Cut the curved end of the door flap.

Step 13: Get a piece of rectangular cardboard and glue it to the bottom of the door flap. This will make the door flap sturdy and permanently flatten it, making it more reliable for bird landings.

Step 14: Hot glue the dried leaves with veins on the body or the walls of the bird house. Continue doing this until you fill the walls completely.

Step 15: Cut the excess dried leaves on the edges of the walls.

Step 16: Measure the roof length from the tip on top all the way down to the sides that touches the wall. Take note of the measurement after.

Step 17: Cut several dried palm leaves based on the measurement in step 16.

Step 18: Hot glue the dried palm leaves on the roof side-by-side. Continue doing this until you cover the whole roof.

Step 19: Cut the excess dried leaves. Hot glue a midrib dried leaf on the tip of the roof on top to make it more presentable.

Step 20: Cut a reasonable length of crochet thread. This will be used to hang the bird house.

Step 21: Form a loop at the end of the thread and insert this appropriately on the midrib of the roof.

Step 22: Insert a small amount of shredded paper inside the bird house. This will keep the birdhouse warm and is conducive to living.

Step 23: Try hanging the birdhouse on a nearby tree or near your window.

Step 24: You now have your own bird house made from dried leaves!

You can make a bigger version of the birdhouse if you are aiming to shelter a bigger bird inside. This birdhouse is good for a small bird only. You can make a small stand for the birdhouse if you want to make it more stable, rather than hanging it on a tree. You can put your own designs on it too. Everything is possible when personalizing this birdhouse. Hope you like it!

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I’m infinitely passionate about all things creative, but especially crafts and handmade jewelry. My name is Leona and I am the site helper. I make sure the blog portion of the site runs smoothly, and is spam free. Visit often and read through the current DIY tutorials.